Troubleshooting Boot Issues After CCleaner and NVIDIA Driver Update

If you’ve recently experienced booting issues with your PC after running CCleaner and updating your NVIDIA drivers, you’re not alone. Many users encounter similar challenges, particularly following significant system changes. Here’s a personal account of a recent dilemma along with some troubleshooting suggestions.

The Situation

After upgrading to a new NVME SSD, I decided to reorganize my games and clear up potential registry errors by using CCleaner. It seemed like a straightforward process to prevent any broken links and maintain system performance. However, a few hours later, when I attempted to install the latest NVIDIA drivers, the installation failed repeatedly, prompting me to restart my computer.

What followed was an alarming situation—my computer refused to boot. The screen remained blank, and there was no feedback from my keyboard; for instance, the Caps Lock key did not activate its respective light. Attempts to initiate Windows Recovery using the F11 key were futile. While the CPU and case fans were operational, and RGB lighting on my RAM and graphics card was functioning, the system offered no visual output to the monitor. Furthermore, I noticed that holding the power button wouldn’t shut down the computer; only a manual unplugging or switching off the power supply worked.

Key Specifications

Operating System: Windows 10
Graphics Card: GTX 1070 Ti
Processor: Ryzen 2600
Motherboard: Gigabyte X470 Aorus Gaming 5 Wi-Fi

Possible Solutions

If you find yourself in a similar predicament, consider these troubleshooting steps to get your system back on track:

Check Connections: Start by ensuring that all cables—especially the power supply, graphics card, and monitor cables—are securely connected.
Reset the BIOS: If your motherboard has a reset button, use it to restore factory settings. If not, remove the CMOS battery for a few minutes to reset the BIOS settings.
Remove Non-Essential Hardware: Disconnect any peripherals, additional hard drives, or expansion cards, leaving only the essential components. This can help identify if a specific device is causing the issue.
Try Safe Mode: If the display returns during boot-up, attempt to access Safe Mode to undo any recent changes or perform a system restore.
Check for Hardware Failures: If issues persist, there might be a chance of hardware failure. Testing